Collision Corner: Citrus Heights neighbors fed up with crashes at one local intersection
CITRUS HEIGHTS — A wooden fence is Citrus Heights resident Jesse Durham's last defense when it comes to protecting his home from cars slamming into the planter boxes just feet from his home.
The planters act as a barrier to his home. Over the past six years, he says they've been destroyed by crashes dozens of times at Fair Oaks Boulevard and Old Auburn Road.
"You just hear a slam and we look out our back window and you see the dirt and smoke rising, and we're like, 'Oh cool, another one!' " he said.
Durham now has reinforcement poles to hold up his fence and his daughter can only play on one half of his backyard.
"The last one, they ended up over the barrier, like on top of it, so it's only a matter of time before they're actually in my yard," he told CBS13.
Durham and others believe people take that turn too fast.
"I think people just speed," said Robert Murry, who lives in the neighborhood.
Citrus Heights officials say they're aware. A few years back, they made lane modifications at the intersection to cut down on crashes.
But still, more needs to be done.
"It does have a history of run-off-the-road crashes," said city engineer Leslie Blomquist.
Blomquist says it starts by making the turn more of a 90-degree angle.
"The left turn is a little bit more acute than a standard left turn, so you have to take it with a little bit more caution," Blomquist said.
Improvements are part of phase one of the Old Auburn Road Complete Streets Plan, which aims to make roads safer. Durham worries it may not help.
"If they can solve the problem, they can solve the problem, but I don't know if there is a solution," he said.
That improvement plan is in the works. The city said they will have several community meetings about their plan over the next few months. Once public comment wraps up, they'll begin construction.